affluent

Affluent is an adjective meaning having a large amount of money or wealth, or being well supplied with possessions. It can describe individuals, families, neighborhoods, regions, or nations regarded as prosperous. The related noun “the affluent” refers to a social group composed of people with high income and wealth. In some contexts, affluent can also describe abundance in nonfinancial terms, though this usage is less common.

Etymology and senses: Affluent derives from Latin affluere, meaning to flow toward, from ad- toward and fluere to flow. The financial sense developed from the core idea of abundance or plenty. In geography, affluent is also a noun for a tributary, a river or stream that flows into a larger one.

Usage and connotations: In everyday and formal writing, affluent describes a level of prosperity that is noticeable but not necessarily universal wealth. It is often used to characterize neighborhoods, communities, or economies with comparatively high income levels. The term is generally neutral or positive, but in some contexts it can be contrasted with poverty or deprivation. The word appears in social science literature and journalism, and the phrase the affluent society is associated with discussions of modern consumption, as popularized by John Kenneth Galbraith in his 1958 work.

See also: wealth, wealthy, prosperity, affluence, socioeconomic class, tributary.

Note: As a noun, “the affluent” can refer to a demographic group; as an adjective, it modifies nouns such as people, neighborhoods, or nations to indicate prosperity. In hydrology, it specifically denotes a tributary to a larger river.